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The Globe Theatre
Late 1500s-Conditions in London
at the time were BAD!
• Thames River polluted
with raw sewage
• Trees used up for fuel
(industrialization)
• Poverty (overcrowded
city)
• People looking for an
escape
The Competition for the People’s
Choice of Entertainment
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Bear-baiting
Races
Gambling
Music
Drinking/socializing
Public executions
…therefore, plays had
to have their own
unique draw
Theater in London
• Performed in courtyards
of inns
• The Theatre-first public
theater, opened in 1576
• Daytime/open air
• Limited set design
• Relied on music, sound,
costumes, props and great
description
The Globe
• Built in 1599 by The Lord
Chamberlain’s Men (King’s Players) –
Shakespeare’s company
• Used timber from The Theatre
• Located across the Thames- “Wrong
side of town”
• Penny admission-This made it
affordable to everyone. Used the
theater to send political statements, etc.
Dimensions
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Three stories
Open-air
About 100 feet in diameter
Could hold approximately 3,000 spectators
Actors
• All men
• Female parts played by
young boys
The groundling
• Poor audience member
• Stood around stage in
“the pit”
• Women not allowed
(had to dress up as
men to attend)
• Threw rotten
vegetables at bad
performances
The Globe, ctd.
• Liable to flooding
• On June 29, 1613, the Globe Theatre went
up in flames during a performance of
Henry VIII; was rebuilt following year
• Closed down by the Puritans in 1642,
deconstructed in 1644
• A modern reconstruction of the theatre,
named "Shakespeare's Globe", opened in
1997
Today, the Globe Theatre…
• Continues to hold theatrical
performances
• Holds exhibitions and tours
• Also has a bar and restaurant,
playground, and gift shop 